A body known as South South Reawakening Group has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Mele Kyari as new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The group made the commendation in a statement signed by the Convener, SSRG, Joseph Ambakederimo which was made available to newsmen on Thursday in Warri.
Kyari succeeds Maikanti Baru, who is due for retirement on July 7 at the age of 60.
The group said: “As President Buhari begins his second tenure in office, we make bold to say that the future looks good.
“It is glaring that the president has opened the floodgate of appointments with professionals and incorruptible persons to occupy key positions in institutions critical to the economy of the nation.
“This is manifest in the appointment of Kyari as GMD of the NNPC. We applaud the president for the foresight.”
The group, however, urged the new GMD to justify the confidence reposed in him by transforming the oil sector.
It added: “We urge the new GMD to live up to the expectation of Nigerians by showcasing his skills that he brought to bear in the transformation of the crude oil marketing department.
“Your output in the crude oil marketing department was extraordinary through the use of modern technology and transparency.
“We believe the same strategy will be employed to reposition the NNPC and it’s subsidiaries to place it on the path of profit making like it’s counterparts in other countries.”
SSRG further reminded Kyari to remember that his appointment was coming at a critical time in the volatile global oil industry and called for some level of openness in the operations of the corporation.

Muhammadu Buhari, former Nigerian military ruler and presidential candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) speaks during an interview with Reuters at a private residence in Lagos February 19, 2011. Buhari, the main opposition candidate in Nigeria's presidential election, said he was optimistic it would be a more credible race than in the past but warned events in north Africa showed people would no longer accept a rigged vote. Picture taken February 19, 2011. To match Interview NIGERIA-BUHARI/ REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye (NIGERIA - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT)